Themes of Colossians Chapter One – Part Two

²⁰ And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Making peace . Peace means to pacify or to stop hostilities. Jesus pacified the anger of God against the sin of mankind. But he also supplied a peace either freely accepted or compulsorily imposed. In this way we understand that he made peace. Making peace is like making your bed. It will not happen by itself. You have to take appropriate action to get it done.

Blood of his cross.

• Romans 3:25 propitiation through faith in his blood,
  Romans 5:9 justified by his blood,
  Ephesians 1:6-7 redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins
  Ephesians 2:13 made nigh by the blood of Christ.
  Hebrews 13:11-12 sanctify the people with his own blood.

Reconcile all things unto himself. (restore, make consistent, cause to submit, check)

• Note that Things are reconciled to God, not God reconciled to things 2 Cor. 5:19
• Things in earth (nature, sinners)
• Things in heaven (not fallen angels since they are already reserved unto judgment. 2 Peter 2:4.) These must be saints of ages prior to Christ’s coming since they were justified by faith, yet not cleansed by the blood of Jesus. (1 Timothy 5:24; Galatians 3:13-14)

This passage has been used by Universalist Unitarians to show that ultimately, everyone will be saved regardless of faith. John 8:24 says, “ I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he , ye shall die in your sins.”Also, 1 Corinthians 15:14-19 states, ¹⁴ And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind  by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled ²² In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

You were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind. Because of the original sin of Adam, we lost our relationship with God. Again, we now fight against many pagan ideas that seek to deify man and erase the concept of sin. (Romans 6:23; Psalm 51:5)

We are also now bombarded with the idea that all living things are alike and have equal value. That is, animals, plants and mankind are essentially the same. The Bible teaches us differently. Genesis 1:26-30 says, “ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. ²⁹ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so”. In addition, many scriptures instruct man to slay animals for blood sacrifices.

The “ Green ” agenda is to break the dominion God has give man over the earth.

Anyone who has studied the global green movement has no doubt heard of “Gaia”. Believers in Gaia, or ‘Gaians’ as they often refer to themselves, claim that the earth is a sentient super-being, an ancient goddess spirit, deserving of worship and reverence. Sir James Lovelock, in his book Gaia: ‘A new look at Life’, states that “all of the lifeforms on this planet are a part of Gaia - part of one spirit goddess that sustains life on earth. Since this transformation into a living system the interventions of Gaia have brought about the evolving diversity of living creatures on planet Earth.” Gaians teach that the “Earth Goddess”, or Mother Earth, must be protected from destructive human activity. It is this belief that fuels the environmental movement, sustainable development, and a global push for the return of industrialized nations to a more primitive way of life.

Gaia worship is at the very heart of the Global Green Agenda. Sustainable Development, Agenda 21, the Earth Charter, and the Global Warming theory are all part of the Gaians mission to save “Mother Earth” from her human infestation. Gaians have succeeded in uniting the environmental movement, the new age movement, Eastern religions, the United Nations and even the leaders of many Christian denominations behind this vile new form of paganism.

“The earth is not dead matter. She is alive.
Now begin to speak to the earth as you walk.
You can speak out loud, or just talk to her in your mind.
Send your love into her with your exhalation. Feel your
heart touching upon the heart of the planet. Say to her
whatever words come to you: Mother Earth, I love you.
Mother Earth, I bless you. May you be healed. May all
your creatures be happy. Peace to you, Mother Earth.
On behalf of the human race, I ask forgiveness
for having injured you. Forgive us, Mother Earth”
- “Prayer to the Earth”, Student Textbook

In the body of his flesh through death. The literal body of Jesus was nailed to a cross and he shed literal, physical, tangible red blood. Here are some false views of the crucifixion taught by some people today:

• Murder Jesus was slain against his will
• Suicide Jesus killed himself
• Symbolic The cross symbolizes universal repression
• Figurative The cross only illustrates God’s love for man
• Virtual The cross was not real . It exists only in the minds of people.
• Metaphysical The cross is abstract, not material , without substance
• Metaphorical Rhetorical, a figure of speech .
• Simulated An act of deception contrived by Jesus and/or his disciples.

Here is the definitive teaching of the Bible about the crucifixion. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Present you. The church will be presented in heaven (Ephesians 5:27)
Holy and unblameable and unreproveable. Legal terms signifying that no premise or pretext exists whereby we could be summoned to court. We may be falsely accused, but we cannot be arrested, booked or charged, let alone be called before a judge.

²³ If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

If ye continue in the faith. This may be the strongest disclaimer of the eternal security doctrine.

“Critics of the “once saved, always saved” doctrine claim that it gives Christians a license to sin. They presume that those who believe in eternal security intend to accept salvation, and then continue to willingly sin. This is inaccurate, because anyone who has been truly saved is a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), has the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:8), and now wants to live for Christ. Someone who continues to willingly and blatantly live in sin has not truly accepted Christ (1 John 2:19; 1 John 3:6; James 1:26). While this false belief may be held by some, it is not a part of the teachings of any true Christian church (Romans 3:8). A person who willingly, humbly, repents of sin and turns towards the cross, trusting Christ as their Savior, will be saved (Acts 16:31; John 6:37; John 14:6). That salvation is once and for all, eternal, and secure. Those who truly trust in Christ are saved once, and saved always.”

Despite the above claims, the only security the believer has is conditional . “If ye continue means nothing if it doesn’t mean what is says of its face. For eternal security to be true, this scripture would have to read, “Even if ye do not continue…” (1 Timothy 6:12; 19-20; Hebrews 3:14; 4:14; Romans 8:13-14; 11:21-22)

Grounded and settled. These are two characteristics of the seasoned believer . Contrast this with Acts 17:16-21.

Be not moved away from the hope. There are enticements and theological novelties that come along and try to draw you off course . 1 Timothy 4:1 “ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”

Every creature. A reference to male and female, bond and free, Jew or Gentile. It does not include plants or non-human animal life.

Galatians 3:26-29 “ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

²⁴ Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: ²⁵ Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil  the word of God;

Rejoice in my sufferings. This is a triumph of attitude over circumstance. The only place that the devil can begin to hurt you is in your attitude.

Fill up that which is behind. Understand that we have an indebtedness to Christ that can never be fulfilled, but which gives us an example to follow.

Afflictions of Christ in my flesh. Paul considered his scars to be only extensions of the crucifixion. Do you have any afflictions of the cross in your flesh?

For his body’s sake, which is the church. This elevates the church to a place of supreme importance . The church must not be downgraded, ignored, dismissed or maligned. Those who want no involvement with the church do not respect the body of Christ, because the church IS the body of Christ in this age! 1 Corinthians 12:26-27 “ And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. ²⁷ Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”

²⁶ Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: ²⁷ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in  you, the hope of glory:

The mystery which hath been hid. The Old Testament prophets and saints did not have the revelation of Jesus Christ or full salvation. Romans 16:25-26 “ Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, ²⁶ But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.”

Christ in you the hope of glory. This is a clear reference to the baptism of the Holy Ghost . Romans 8:10-16 “ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

²⁸ Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: ²⁹ Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.